Unhappy with probe,Juhi’s father to move Bombay HC

AN Prasad,a Patna-based advocate,alleged that the crime branch was “trying to protect his daughter’s boyfriend Nimesh Sinha and had not named him in the FIR despite a trial court order to thoroughly investigate Sinha’s role”.

Juhi (26),Sinha’s fiancee,was found with over 90 per cent burns at the Pune residence of Sinha on October 13 morning and died 10 days later. Anushree Kundra,a Bangalore girl and a former girlfriend of Sinha,is alleged to have reached the house and set her on fire. Sinha,who suffered minor burns,was named the prime witness. Kundra had been on the run after the incident and surrendered a month after the incident.

Prasad told The Indian Express: “It is intriguing why Pune police has not been assessing call details of Nimesh Sinha. It is Kundra who has been made the accused. The incident took place at Nimesh’s house and I strongly believe his complicity in the murder…” Prasad said the trial court,in its March 23,2012 order had asked police to investigate the role of Sinha and submit a report by April 16. “The police submitted the report two months later. I am not at all convinced with the police reply. The trial court,in its subsequent order,instructed me to take up the matter during trial. The investigation so far has been tardy and lopsoded,” said Prasad,who has been shuttling between Pune and Mumbai since the incident.

Prasad said the Pune Crime Branch was dwelling too much on Sinha “being a witness rather than a co-accused”. “At the FIR stage,I was too crestfallen to think of Nimesh’s having any role. I learnt several things only after reaching the scene of the incident. My daughter had not given a clean chit to Nimesh in her dying declaration,” said Prasad.

“Despite being a father,I checked my emotional outburst. I am also a lawyer and am trying to put things in perspective. I cannot get my child back but at least I can get justice,” said Prasad. Juhi,a Delhi-based lawyer,was his only child.The Pune Police Crime Branch said Sinha was being treated as the prime witness as he was present during the incident. A senior police officer with the Crime Branch said on the condition of anonymity,”We understand Prasad’s stand. He has lost his daughter. But we cannot look at the case only from one perspective. It must not be forgotten that Juhi was a trained lawyer working with a reputed legal firm and would have known minute details of the law. For the 10 days she was alive and was talking to us,she never ever talked about Nimesh’s role in the case. Even in her dying declaration,she named only Kundra.”

Another Crime Branch officer said: “We have strong evidence against Kundra. Our investigation has not suggested any role of Nimesh in the murder. Juhi had told her father she was going to Mumbai but instead reached Pune to meet Nimesh. At no point during her treatment had Juhi ever talked against Nimesh. We have also come to know they had known each other since their college days. Nimesh remains our prime witness.”